Geneva Motor Show 2017: New Subaru XV crossover makes debut

The XV is based on the same platform as the latest Impreza and will be powered by Subaru's latest range of petrol and diesel engines. It should reach the UK by 2018.

Power will come from the existing 2.0-litre Boxer petrol engine, rather than the 1.6i in the Levorg, but Subaru says 80 percent of it has been reworked to improved power delivery and fuel economy. The Lineartronic automatic has also been revised.

The styling echoes the larger Levorg plus there are new colours - Cool Grey Khaki and Sunshine Orange - designed to contrast with the black cladding for that now de rigour 'off-road but not quite look'.

Inside there's an 8-inch touchscreen display along with new seats and orange stitching. Subaru says it has worked on reducing noise and vibration in the new XV and it has a far more rigid body structure and improved suspension. As a result it claims body roll has been reduced by half.

The steering has been tweaked to be quicker and more responsive plus the new XV gets an electric parking brake. As with all Subaru models, the XV gets symmetrical all-wheel drive.

The original XV was launched in 2012, but has struggled to compete with the likes of the Nissan Qashqai and Renault Kadjar, noy helped by high emissions and poor economy. Plus high list prices compared to the competition.

As a result it has remained something of a niche car for Subaru, but the Japanese manufacturer has high hopes for the replacement, which should make it to UK dealers for mid-2018.

Comments

leftfield lenny
on 10 March 2017

Anything helps, I guess. Especially for a 2.0 litre, performance wise it was hampered on all fronts, economy, emissions and on the road performance wise. Especially when tested with the CVT gearbox (allegedly, I found no issues with the CVT Forester that I drove for a day) And as mentioned in the article, the high price didn't help, even if you factored in the generous supplied equipment levels and four wheel drive. I'm a bit miffed that the 1.6 turbo engine from the Levorg won't be offered, but I'll be in the market for another car in 2019, so I'll defer purchasing until I actually get a real time road test in one. I no longer trust most magazine test drivers reports about Subaru cars. They seem to be extremely biased for German diesel cars for some reason (can't think why)

Anything helps, I guess. Especially for a 2.0 litre, performance wise it was hampered on all fronts, economy, emissions and on the road performance wise. Especially when tested with the CVT gearbox (allegedly, I found no issues with the CVT Forester that I drove for a day) And as mentioned in the article, the high price didn't help, even if you factored in the generous supplied equipment levels and four wheel drive. I'm a bit miffed that the 1.6 turbo engine from the Levorg won't be offered, but I'll be in the market for another car in 2019, so I'll defer purchasing until I actually get a real time road test in one. I no longer trust most magazine test drivers reports about Subaru cars. They seem to be extremely biased for German diesel cars for some reason (can't think why)